By Chung Ah-young
Staff Reporter
Jazzchor Freiburg, a versatile jazz vocal group, will dazzle Korean fans once again with a concert next month. The concert is the group's third in Korea to offer various genres such as jazz, ballad, pop and Latin music.
The show will take place at Olympic Hall Sept. 4 and at Seongnam Arts Center Sept. 5.
The concert features Norwegian jazz vocalist Torun Eriksen and a three-member vocal and percussion group Acoustic Instinct as well.
The 34-member group was first founded by German conductor Bertrand Groger in 1990. The group won competitions, including the first prize at the German Choir Competition in 1998 and the first prize at the Choir Olympics in Korea 2002.
The group's international reputation has soared with its extensive tours in Japan, Korea, Russia, Germany, France, the Czech Republic, Poland, Italy, Austria, Switzerland, and Denmark.
The Jazzchor's repertoire consists of vocal jazz from swing to fusion, aiming to bridge the gap between art and entertainment.
Groger writes most of the arrangements, scat segments, collective rap, and screaming choruses. The group puts new spins on pieces by Miles Davis, John Coltrane and Nat King Cole, just to name a few of the greats the group has covered.
The Jazzchor also gives a choral sound to the four to six voice arrangements of such vocal groups as Manhattan Transfer and the New York Voices.
In addition to a few a-cappella pieces, a combo consisting of piano, double bass, and drums enrich the Jazzchor.
There have been projects with Bobby McFerrin (``Circlesongs''), the Bamberg Symphonic Orchestra (``der und die (das)'' by Bertrand Groger), the Philharmonic Orchestra of Freiburg (Maurice Ravel's ``Daphnis & Chloe''), Basel Sinfonietta (George Gershwin's ``Porgy & Bess'') and the Hanover Big Band (Duke Ellington's ``Concert of Sacred Music'').
For more information, call (02) 2068-8000. Tickets cost from 20,000 to 80,000 won for the Olympic Hall concert and 30,000 to 70,000 won for the Seongnam Arts Center's concert.